Bultaco project bike

Hooniverse Asks: What’s your first upgrade on any motorcycle?

Jeff Glucker

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You just bought a new, or new to you, motorcycle. There are great rides in your future. You are an excited person and the road beckons. But what else beckons first? You know you are going to modify your machine somehow. So I want to know about the first upgrade or upgrades you’re fitting to that bike.

Are you in for new grips? Maybe you don’t trust the tires that come from the factory. Or your rear demands perfection and a saddle swap is in the works.

Let’s say you just plunked down the cash for a new ride. What do you plunk more cash on next? Sound off below…

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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6 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What’s your first upgrade on any motorcycle?”

  1. onrails Avatar
    onrails

    No longer a street rider for about 10 years now, it’s been storing the expensive parts in the attic and putting on track bodywork so when I sell it I can still get a decent price if I do something dumb. Fortunately that hasn’t happened yet but I’m sure if I kept the original stuff on it would.

    Reply
  2. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Of the 8 motorcycles I’ve owned between the Reagan era and now I don’t think one of them had any farkles* added to it until I bought the Africa Twin a couple years ago. Just last night after adding the center stand to the bike I totaled up my improvements and they’re 25% of the MSRP! So, making up for lost time.

    On the Africa Twin I decided in the first 100 miles to replace the seat, which seems common on modern Hondas. Next was a windscreen. Oh, wait, my other Honda, the CB-1, had a small fairing added to it.

    So I guess windscreen wins as the first mod? And Honda wins as the most modded.

    *Farkles: Stuff that’s vaguely functional but mostly sparkle.

    Reply
  3. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    It was deep in the last century when I sold my last bike, but I was a Cafe Racer in those days and so my first addition to my last bike was a set of rear-sets and some drag bars (NB: these are straight short handlebars that attach to the front fork down tubes, -not- wheelie bars which extend out behind the motorcycle). These were followed by an exhaust system that let me increase my lean angle and a bikini fairing just because.

    The picture linked below is not my bike but a reasonable facsimile snatched from the inter-web. It is pretty close in the way it’s kitted out although I wore shortie front and rear fenders.

    https://us-browse.startpage.com/av/anon-image?piurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.scgpix.com%2Flistimg%2Fimg1_1215%2F03%2Fimg_9XUYmB5xUl.jpg&sp=1613498130T9272f5b725cb4c2a56b27a837840dd9c85c923e814f6c48767514d2921247231

    Reply
  4. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    Four wheels.

    Just kidding. It’s been years since I’ve driven a motorcycle on any regular frequency, and while I love to look at them, I don’t really have any desire to own one ever again. I’m much more comfortable when enclosed in a four-wheeled box (I don’t even like convertibles).

    Reply
  5. Tanshanomi Avatar
    Tanshanomi

    A battery charger

    Reply
  6. ptschett Avatar
    ptschett

    On my KLR650 it was a kit to strengthen the rear subframe mounting (it carries the seat and I am not a small person), rear-suspension raising links (again because I am a fat), and the infamous “doohickey”. Along the way I replaced the shift lever with a beefier aftermarket part, and when the factory fuel tank rusted out I put on a bigger plastic one.

    Reply